The city’s announcement that Northlands Coliseum will close its doors in 2017 is bittersweet for surrounding communities.

Those neighbourhoods around the former home of the Edmonton Oilers are directly affected by people coming, or not coming, to the grounds. But the city’s announcement has raised awareness among the area’s community leagues, said Brian Finley, Bellevue Community League president.

Finley said the surrounding community leagues plan to create a more united front to provide input on future developments in the area.

Residents of Bellevue, Highlands and the Parkdale Cromdale community leagues were asked to comment on Northlands’ Vision 2020 plan for the 160 acres of land the organization covers.

The city also held an online poll asking Edmontonians what they would like to see done in the area in the future. But a post on the Bellevue Community League’s website said when the group reached out in March 2016 to work with the city, Northlands or others involved in the site’s redevelopment, no one took residents up on the offer.

“Thus far we have not been included in any discussions and until we have more specific information about what this latest decision means it is extremely difficult to comment with any accuracy,” the Sept. 14 post said.

Now that council has decided to close the Coliseum this year, the city hopes to involve neighbouring communities more, said Peter Ohm, chief planner with the City of Edmonton.

“This is the point where the community should be and will be engaged,” he said.

The city has identified the leagues as interested parties and likely participants of the community advisory committee, he added.

Finley believes the decision to include the leagues should have been made back when the new arena deal was finalized.

“These discussions all should have started the day after the deal was struck to move things downtown,” he said. “We just want the communities that surround that area to be involved going forward.”

The city is mulling over some ideas for the Coliseum, including re-purposing some of the land for residential buildings or urban agriculture.

“We (also) need to consider where K-Days will operate in the future,” Ohm said.

Both the Bellevue and Highlands community leagues are more concerned with the entirety of Northlands’ property, rather than just the fate of the Coliseum.

Finley said there hasn’t been much activity in the region since Rogers Place opened, so the closure likely wouldn’t affect them immediately.

Cherie Klassen, president of the Highlands Community League, is concerned that an abandoned site may increase crime in the area. The league saw that happen with the closure of the Safeway on 118 Avenue and 66 Street, she said.

“We don’t want to have this site left inactive for a long period of time,” she said.

“It’s a part of a bigger problem in mature neighbourhoods. We allow things to get derelict … I think the city needs to see it as a bigger priority.”

The Parkdale-Cromdale community league sent the following message in an email.

“Our community civics group talked on this last night. And we are supportive of positive change happening at the Coliseum and welcome being part of the next stages in the discussion with the city. We are just not sure what the next step will be.”